Foreigners who want to get a regular or temporary work in Slovenia must obtain the consent of their employer in advance whether it to be a state organization or a private company. An employment contract is concluded according to the regulations of the Law on Employment of Foreigners adopted in 1992. The lack of employer’s consent is a crude violation of law – the employers will be subjected to administrative sanctions and illegal workers deported from the country.

The work permit is issued by the Republican Employment Standards Administration. This work permit is one of the main documents for a foreigner to get an employment visa. An employer must coordinate the approval with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Slovenia and the Ministry informs the Republican Employment Standards Administration about it.

The validity period of the work permit does not exceed one year. It allows working only at one company that has previously submitted the request for this worker. The personal work permit for foreigners is given for a period of not longer than one year. The request on granting the personal work permit is to be accompanied by the employer’s note on conclusion of an employment agreement with the foreigner.

The foreigners that are the residents of the neighboring to Slovenia countries and come to Slovenia for work every day (everyday working immigrants) may also get a personal work permit.

The permit for individual working activities for a foreigner is issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Slovenia and is considered to be the personal work permit. A business visa is also considered to be a personal work permit. The foreigners with a refugee status, Slovenian immigrants and their direct descendents (up to the third generation) may get a work permit without the letter of employer’s consent.

Generally the foreigners mostly get a temporary work connected with arduous working conditions (seasonal agricultural works, highway construction works and building construction, wood harvesting, taking timber out of the mountain areas etc.).